5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The best known use of GPS satellites is to help people know their location whether driving a car, navigating a ship or plane, or trekking across remote territory. Another important, but lesser-known, use is to distribute information to other Earth-viewing satellites to help them pinpoint measurements of our planet. NASA and several other federal agencies, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency are improving the location accuracy of these…
Read MoreNASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Returns to Science Operations
3 min read NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Returns to Science Operations Hubble orbiting more than 300 miles above Earth as seen from the space shuttle. NASA Updated, Dec. 8, 2023 NASA restored the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope to science operations Friday, Dec. 8. The telescope had paused science observations Nov. 23 due to an issue with one of its gyros. The spacecraft is in good health and once again operating using all three of its gyros. Hubble’s two main cameras, Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys, resumed…
Read MoreNASA to Participate in Next Private Astronaut Mission News Conference
The astronaut crew for Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) to the International Space Station. From left to right, Ax-3 crew members are Michael López-Alegría, Axiom Space’s chief astronaut, Walter Villadei, an Italian Air Force colonel and pilot for the mission, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravci from Türkiye, and ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt. Credits: Axiom Space NASA experts will join a virtual news conference hosted by Axiom Space at 10 a.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 13, to discuss the launch of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), the third private astronaut mission to the International…
Read MoreCluster in the Cloud
This striking image shows the densely packed globular cluster known as NGC 2210, which is situated in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC lies about 157 000 light-years from Earth, and is a so-called satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, meaning that the two galaxies are gravitationally bound. Globular clusters are very stable, tightly bound clusters of thousands or even millions of stars. Their stability means that they can last a long time, and therefore globular clusters are often studied in order to investigate potentially very old stellar populations.
Read MoreCrossed wires caused parachute problem during OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample delivery, NASA says
NASA thinks it knows why the OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe’s return capsule failed to deploy its drogue parachute as planned while descending through Earth’s atmosphere on Sept. 24. The problem, which did not prevent the capsule from landing safely and softly that day, was likely caused by crossed wires. “After a thorough review of the descent video and the capsule’s extensive documentation, NASA found that inconsistent wiring label definitions in the design plans likely caused engineers to wire the parachutes’ release triggers such that signals meant to deploy the drogue chute…
Read MoreChinese startup Galactic Energy bounces back with successful satellite launch
Chinese startup Galactic Energy is flying high again after a successful satellite launch on Monday (Dec. 4). The company’s Ceres-1 solid rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 6:33 p.m. EST on Monday (2333 GMT; or 7:33 a.m. Beijing time on Dec. 5). The rocket rose into a dark, predawn sky above the Gobi Desert. Aboard were the Tianyan 16 and Starpool 1A satellites. Both were inserted into near-polar orbits with altitudes of roughly 310 miles (500 kilometers). Related: Chinese company’s rocket launches 3 satellites…
Read MoreSpaceX, US Space Force set to launch secretive X-37B space plane on Dec. 10
The U.S. Space Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane is just about ready to take flight for the seventh time. The Space Force and SpaceX “are making final preparations” for the planned Sunday evening (Dec. 10) launch of the robotic X-37B, Space Force officials said in an emailed update today (Dec. 7). The space plane is scheduled to lift off atop a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a 10-minute window that opens at 8:14 p.m. EST (0114 GMT on Dec. 11). If SpaceX webcasts the…
Read MoreNASA Selects Contractors for Ground Support Equipment Fabrication
NASA NASA has selected the following companies for a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to fabricate ground support equipment at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida: Engraver Metal Fabricators Inc., Merritt Island, Florida J.P. Donovan Construction Inc., Rockledge, Florida Precision Fabricating and Cleaning Co. Inc., Cocoa, Florida The work will support Artemis, including missions to land the first woman and person of color on the Moon. The contractors will provide management, labor, facilities, materials, equipment, and other incidental support to fabricate, mark, package, deliver, clean, assemble, and test ground support…
Read MoreNovember Retirements
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Anabel Falcon Anabel Falcon, Center Operations Directorate, retired Nov. 30, 2023, with 34 years of NASA service. Credit: NASA Tom Parkey Tom Parkey, Program Planning and Control Office, retired Nov. 30, 2023 ,with 35 years of federal service, including 20 years with NASA. Credit: NASA Explore More 2 min read NASA Podcasts Now Available on Spotify Article 1 day ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Director, NASA Astronaut Visit Pittsburgh Article 1 day ago 1 min read Local Mayors,…
Read MoreArtemis II Crew’s SLS Visit
NASA / Michael DeMocker On Nov. 16, 2023, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (left) and Christina Koch (middle) of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen (second from left) view the core stage for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The three astronauts, along with NASA’s Victor Glover, will launch atop the rocket stage to venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight for Artemis. The astronauts’ visit to Michoud coincided with the first anniversary of the launch…
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